Going into 2024, I hope this blog continues to be a source of information and inspiration to you all! I'm thankful for all the support I've received so far and happy so many of you are on the journey of learning Mandarin Chinese.
I'd like to focus on perhaps producing some more original content this year so please do let me know via comments or messages what you would like to see! Word lists, grammar functions etc and I'll also be sharing what I learn too.
I am also considering adding the 'tip blog' function to my blog if you would like to support me and my content going forward!
Turtleback tomb 龟壳墓 are a particular type of Chinese tombs originating from the Song Dynasty. They are commonly found in some coastal regions of southern China (Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong) and the Ryukyu islands (formerly the Ryukyu Kingdom).
It is commonly said that the tomb imitates the shape of a tortoise due to those animals' longevity, thus promising long life to the descendants of the deceased. Some authors link it with the general symbolism of a turtle in the ancient Chinese culture, with its flat plastron below and its domed carapace above, representing the shape of the universe.
The main purpose of the omega-shaped ridge surrounding the tomb is to substitute for a range of hill ridges which, according to the principles of feng shui, need to protect the grave from the "noxious winds" from the three sides. The Ryukyuan version has the same overall shape and layout, but on a much greater scale. The body of the "tortoise" serves as a family burial vault.
Chinese tech vocabulary: chargers, cables and ports
Needing to buy headphones and being unable to specify that you need wired headphones and NOT wireless ones can happen to anyone, so here is some technical related vocab in Chinese to help.
What are you even doing?
你在干嘛嘛～？
Nǐ zài gàn má ma~?
You doing what mm?
Whatchu doin’, hmm~?
What do you even know?
你知道啥呀～？
Nǐ zhīdào shá ya~?
You know what eh?
What do you even knooow~?
You don’t even care.
你才不在乎嘞～
Nǐ cái bú zàihu lei~
You totally don’t care eh.
You don’t even caaare~
This cat has a death wish.
这只猫咪不想活啦！
Zhè zhī māomī bù xiǎng huó la!
This kitty doesn’t wanna live anymore!
This kitty’s got a death wishhh~!
Trying to trip me, I see.
你是不是想绊倒我哇～？
Nǐ shì bú shì xiǎng bàndǎo wǒ wa~?
Are you trying to trip me eh~?
You tryin’ to trip me again, huhhh~?
Why are you trying to trip me?
为啥老是想绊妈妈啦？
Wèi shá lǎoshì xiǎng bàn māma la?
Why always trying to trip mama~?
Why you always trippin’ mamaaa?
She’s a good girl.
她是个乖乖喵～
Tā shì ge guāiguāi miāo~
She’s a good good kitty~
She’s a gooood girl~
She’s just a baby, your honor.
她她她只是个小宝贝嘛，法官大人～
Tā tā tā zhǐshì ge xiǎo bǎobèi ma, fǎguān dàren~
She she she is just a lil baby, Your Honor~
She’s just a widdle baaaby, your hooonor~
She’s just a baby girl.
她是小小女孩呀～
Tā shì xiǎoxiǎo nǚhái ya~
She’s lil-lil girl~
She’s just a baby girrrrl~
I love you so much, cat.
猫猫，我好爱你呦～
Māomāo, wǒ hǎo ài nǐ yōu~
Kitty, I love you so much yo~
I wuv you soooo much, kittyyy~
She’s purring.
她在呼噜噜噜啦～
Tā zài hūlū lūlū la~
She’s purring-purring~
She goin’ purr purr purr~!
Do you want some snacks?
要不要吃小零零呀？
Yào bú yào chī xiǎo línglíng ya?
Wanna eat some lil snackies~?
You want some snaccies, hmm?
True to form.
你就是你喽～
Nǐ jiùshì nǐ lou~
You just you, huh~
That’s my lil chaos queen~
Come on (the bed).
来嘛，上床床～
Lái ma, shàng chuángchuáng~
Come eh, get on bed-bed~
C’mere, get on the beddy-bed!
Come on, Paz.
Paz宝贝，快点儿嘛～
Paz bǎobèi, kuàidiǎnr ma~
Paz baby, hurry up eh~
Come on, Pazzy babyyy~
👶 Notes on Cutesy Mandarin
Reduplication is often used in baby-talk or pet-talk:
床 → 床床 (chuángchuáng – “bed-bed”)
抱 → 抱抱 (bàobào – “hug-hug”)
吃 → 吃吃 (chīchī – “eat-eat”)
Final particles like:
嘛 (ma), 啦 (la), 呀 (ya), 哇 (wa), 呦 (yo), and 喽 (lou)
add playfulness or whining/emotive tone
Small suffixes like 小 (xiǎo – little), 宝贝 (bǎobèi – baby/darling), or 喵 (miāo – meow/kitty) are affectionate and common when talking to pets
笑 is honestly the most annoying word in the Chinese language to translate when you have to deal with large volumes of prose in a short amount of time. It's basically an umbrella term for actions like to smile, to laugh, to grin, to chuckle, to ridicule, to tease etc. It shows up every page and half the time the author never specifies what kind of 笑 it is so you just gotta wing it.
Qin Family Ancestral Hall 秦氏支祠 is a complex of Republican-era buildings located in Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province, China. Construction of the complex began in 1923 and was completed in 1925. The Qin Family Ancestral Hall covers a total area of nearly 2,000 square meters; its construction entailed an expenditure of over 200,000 taels of silver. The complex integrates the distinctive Ningbo artistic traditions of vermilion-and-gold wood carving, stone carving, and brick carving.
In 2001, the Qin Family Ancestral Hall was designated a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level. It was the first ancestral shrine in the Ningbo region to receive this national-level designation.
Chinese skincare vocab: reading ingredients (part 1)
Skincare ingredients can get quite complicated (especially when trying to understand it in Chinese), so here's part of a vocab list to decode your labels and making sense of what’s actually in your products:
尿囊素 - niào náng sù - allantoin
变性乙醇 - biàn xìng yǐ chún - alcohol denat
杏仁油 - xìng rén yóu - almond oil
芦荟 - lú huì - aloe vera
果酸 - guǒ suān (or α-羟基酸 - α-qiǎngjī suān) - alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) (apparently there are a few ways to say this in Chinese)
I am afraid, deeply afraid to my core that it will happen again… and I don’t know what to do. The question that haunts us every day .. will famine and displacement return?
I haven’t forgotten my father seven days without food, just to try to save whatever he could for us to survive. Please help us and donate now , My dear friends please donate.
I can't imagine saying that my father (might lose his life). That's absolutely terrifying. I can't fathom the level of scientific and medical advancement the world has reached, the level of defense of human rights and international moral values, and yet my father might lose his life because he's trapped here in Gaza under Israeli Zionist occupation.
In this world, cancer treatment has become relatively easy and less dangerous, but in Gaza, the situation is very different. My father's condition could, God forbid, lead to his death due to the lack of treatment, equipment, and medical staff.
For the past two days, my father has been suffering from severe bleeding. He needs intensive care and monitoring in this critical and painful situation. I am desperately trying to raise funds to help my family and me survive by providing food, water, and medicine, as we lack basic necessities here in Gaza. I hope to travel as soon as the crossing opens. Therefore, I implore you to help us and donate. Please donate.
